High-jumping hijinks before kangaroo flees petting zoo
How does a kangaroo escape from the zoo?
If you’re Chesney the kangaroo, you’ll climb an 8-foot fence and escape for three days, giving your caretaker sleepless nights and sending the residents of a small US town on a search that ends happily on Saturday.
An unprecedented jump at Sunshine Farm in Necedah, Wisconsin, last week was precipitated by some stray dogs who ran into the fence and scared 16-month-old Chesney, said his caretaker, Debbie Marland.
He and his friends then hiked here and there in this town about 155 miles northwest of Milwaukee.
A Sunshine Farm fan wrote a children’s book about Chesney’s adventures.
They followed up on reports of sightings and even rented heat-seeking drones; This was effective in narrowing down the places where the high jump adventurer wandered.
“I was taking about 37,000 steps a day looking for it,” Marland said Sunday.
Chesney and his roommate, Kenny, named after country music star Kenny Chesney, live with 25 animals at Sunshine Farm.
Chesney escaped around 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday and kept his pursuers guessing despite remaining within a five-kilometer radius of the farm.
Friday was a tough day, according to Stacy Brereton, Marland’s friend who helps out on the farm.
No one had seen Chesney all day, and they feared he had gone further afield.
Chesney and his roommate Kenny are happy to be reunited.
Later on Friday night, Chesney was found nestled under a tree in a wooded area.
A group of investigators surrounded him, but Chesney evaded a fleet of marchers whose speed of 20 miles per hour was not a challenge for him.
Marland returned to the area on Saturday with Chesney’s favorite treats and items bearing his and Kenny’s scent.
Other searchers joined him, but when they saw no sign of the kangaroo, they began to pack up. Just then they saw the long-eared fugitive.
“I just stayed calm … and sat down and let him come to me,” Brereton said.
Brereton, who eventually captured the 18kg marsupial, said Chesney heard voices and wanted attention.
“I believe he heard our soothing sounds, smelled the familiar scents of the house, and it made him feel safe,” Brereton said.
“I’m glad he loves me as much as I love him.”
Marland said “the community really came together” for the now-sort-of-famous kangaroo.
A Sunshine Farm fan has written a children’s book about Chesney’s adventures, and Marland hopes to publish it to offset some of the search costs.
Kenny, who runs the Marland household with his marsupial mate, was happy to be reunited with Chesney. Although hungry and tired, Chesney was otherwise healthy.
A new mesh top will be placed over the kangaroo enclosure to prevent further high jump errors.
